• P. songarus is paraphyletic and treatment as a separate species does not conform to various species concepts.

• Patterns of biometric and genetic differentiation are congruent in P. palustris but not in P. montanus.

Abstract

A recent full species-level phylogeny of tits, titmice and chickadees (Paridae) has placed the Chinese endemic black-bibbed tit (Poecile hypermelaenus) as the sister to the Palearctic willow tit (P. montanus). Because this sister-group relationship is in striking disagreement with the traditional affiliation of P. hypermelaenus close to the marsh tit (P. palustris) we tested this phylogenetic hypothesis in a multi-locus analysis with an extended taxon sampling including sixteen subspecies of willow tits and marsh tits. As a taxonomic reference we included type specimens in our analysis. The molecular genetic study was complemented with an analysis of biometric data obtained from museum specimens. Our phylogenetic reconstructions, including a comparison of all GenBank data available for our target species, clearly show that the genetic lineage previously identified as P. hypermelaenus actually refers to P. weigoldicus because sequences were identical to that of a syntype of this taxon. The close relationship of P. weigoldicus and P. montanus – despite large genetic distances between the two taxa – is in accordance with current taxonomy and systematics. In disagreement with the previous phylogenetic hypothesis but in accordance with most taxonomic authorities, all our P. hypermelaenus specimens fell in the sister clade of all western and eastern Palearctic P. palustris. Though shared haplotypes among the Chinese populations of the two latter species might indicate mitochondrial introgression in this part of the breeding range, further research is needed here due to the limitations of our own sampling.

Taxonomic analysis of five specimens of a cyprinid fish collected from Alappuzha, Kerala, India revealed that they present several taxonomic differences from their congeners. The new species, Rasbora ataenia, is diagnosed by a combination of the following characters: dorsal fin with seven branched rays, anal fin with five branched rays, body slender and without any lateral color stripe, head deeper and snout shorter.

Etymology: Feminine Latin noun 'taenia' meaning ribbon or band; prefix ‘a’ means ‘without’; the name 'ataenia' used here in reference to the absence of a mid lateral color band on the body of the new fish.

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Nepenthaceae, Nepenthes krabiensis. The new species is closely related to N. rosea which has been found in the same habitat of the wildlife sanctuary of Krabi Province in Southern Thailand.

Etymology.― The species is named after Krabi
Province, to which it is endemic.

Phenology.― Flowering June to August.

Proposed IUCN conservation outlook assessment
(2012).― Nepenthes krabiensis is assessed as
Critically Endangered [CR B2ab (ii)]. It distributed
in an area of 500 m2
and only on a single site on the
summit of Mt Nor Ju Jee.

Notes.―Nepenthes krabiensis is similar to N.
rosea which grows in the same province and also
on limestone mountains. The species share lanceolate,
pseudo-petiolate and decurrent leaves, but N. krabiensis
differs from N. rosea in the conspicuous coloration
of the lower pitchers: being orange with red stripes,
with red blotches over the inner surface and absent
in the glandular zone, the green to orange or red
peristome, the green to red lid upper surface, and
the green to yellow or orange lid lower surface. The
lower pitchers of N. rosea are green to light pink
with dark pink stripes outside, and uniformly green
to dark pink over the inner surface.

Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; pronounced [pʰuːmípʰon ʔàdunjádèːt], 5 December 1927 – 13 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great in 1987, was the ninth monarch of Thailand from the Chakri Dynasty as Rama IX. Having reigned since 9 June 1946, he was, at the time of his death, the world's longest-serving head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, serving for 70 years, 126 days.

formation of the composite wing during the initial phases of the gliding flight of Draco dussumieriseen from the front (left) and from below (right; corresponding photos of the same phases). The lizard jumps from the tree, reorients the body dorsoventrally and starts to spread the anterior ribs; the extended arms reach behind the back (top). The anterior ribs are further spread by the trunk musculature; the hands grasp the leading edge of the patagium and pull it forward (middle). The patagium is fully extended and controlled by the forelimbs; the glide path becomes more horizontal (bottom). White arrows indicate the positions of the hands.

Flying lizards of the genus Draco are famous for their gliding ability, using an aerofoil formed by winglike patagial membranes and supported by elongated thoracic ribs. It has remained unknown, however, how the lizards manoeuvre during flight. Here, I show that the patagium is deliberately grasped and controlled by the forelimbs while airborne. This type of composite wing is unique inasmuch as the lift-generating and the controlling units are formed independently by different parts of the body and are connected to each other only for the duration of the flight. The major advantage for the lizards is that the forelimbs keep their entire movement range and functionality for climbing and running when they are not used as the controlling unit of the wing. These findings not only shed a new light on the flight of Draco lizards but also have implications for the interpretation of gliding performance in fossil species.

A large new species of Callulina is described from a series of 22 specimens from the montane and upper montane forest of the Nguru Mountains, Tanzania. The most striking features of Callulina meteora sp. nov. are the massive and boldly coloured glands on the arms and legs and a metallic sheen to the skin. The new species is distinguished further on the basis of acoustic and molecular data. The position, size and conspicuousness of the enlarged glands in the new species are strikingly similar to those of Nectophrynoides viviparus, a toad found also in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. The new species is known from a single forest reserve and is of high conservation concern.

FIGURE 2.Callulina meteora sp. nov. in life from the type locality, showing some of the species variability.

Etymology. The specific epithet is used as an adjective and derives from the greek word meteoron, meaning"thing high up," in reference to the type locality of the species, situated close to the top of the Nguru Mountains.

The Mumburarr Whipray, Urogymnus acanthobothrium sp. nov. is described from a single specimen taken from the Cambridge Gulf, Western Australia, and from images of 10 other specimens from northern Australia and Papua New Guinea (all observed but not collected). It is a very large ray that attains at least 161 cm disc width, making it amongst the largest of the whiprays. The ventral tail below the caudal sting has a low, short-based fold. A ventral tail fold (or a dorsal fold) has not been recorded for any other himanturin stingray in the Indo-West Pacific. Molecular data suggest it is most closely related to a similar but more widely distributed cognate, U. granulatus. Both of these species share a suboval disc shape, similar squamation patterns, and the tail posterior to the sting is entirely white (at least in small individuals). U. acanthobothrium sp. nov. differs from U. granulatus in having a longer and more angular snout, longer tail, more posteriorly inserted caudal sting, lacks white flecks on the dorsal surface, and the ventral disc is uniformly white (rather than white with a broad black margin). It co-occurs with two other morphologically distinct Urogymnus in the region (U. asperrimus and U. dalyensis). Like U. dalyensis it occurs in both brackish and marine waters. A key is proved to the members of the genus Urogymnus.

Friday, December 30, 2016

Figure 4. Side by side photo of two adult male Osteolaemus tetraspis. The left individual was captured in the Abanda caves and displays the bizarre orange skin colour. We do not yet fully understand the mechanism underlying this colour change, though suspect it is caused by a chemical bleaching process after long periods of exposure to high urea concentrations from bat guano.

Abstract

We present the first ever observations of dwarf crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis) selectively utilizing a cave ecosystem. We analysed crocodile diet to preliminarily assess the degree of ecological isolation of cave-dwelling crocodiles from their forest-dwelling conspecifics despite their physical proximity. We additionally conducted the first study of body condition of dwarf crocodiles and compared cave-dwelling individuals to surface-dwelling individuals from a variety of alternative habitats and sites as a means to better understand the implications of a semihypogean life on this species. Crocodiles captured in the caves appeared to forage exclusively in the caves and ate mostly cave crickets and bats, whereas crocodiles captured in the surrounding forest habitat consumed primarily freshwater crustaceans and insects and were not found to consume cave-dwelling prey. Juvenile cave crocodiles had significantly higher body condition compared to juvenile forest crocodiles, which did not vary amongst forest locations. The difference in body condition between adult cave and forest crocodiles was not statistically significant despite also being higher; we suspect this is an artifact of the low sample size rather than a real nondifference. Forest adult crocodiles generally had significantly higher body condition than juveniles, but did not vary by site or habitat. This lack of variation suggests that habitat type is not the most important factor influencing dwarf crocodile body condition. Our results provide a unique insight into facultative cave use by a principally surface-dwelling species and reinforce the necessity for further research into this unique system to better understand the evolutionary-scale implications of cave habitat use by dwarf crocodiles.

Here we reconstruct the evolutionary shift towards floral simulation in orchid mantises and suggest female predatory selection as the likely driving force behind the development of extreme sexual size dimorphism. Through analysis of body size data and phylogenetic modelling of trait evolution, we recovered an ancestral shift towards sexual dimorphisms in both size and appearance in a lineage of flower-associated praying mantises. Sedentary female flower mantises dramatically increased in size prior to a transition from camouflaged, ambush predation to a floral simulation strategy, gaining access to, and visually attracting, a novel resource: large pollinating insects. Male flower mantises, however, remained small and mobile to facilitate mate-finding and reproductive success, consistent with ancestral male life strategy. Although moderate sexual size dimorphisms are common in many arthropod lineages, the predominant explanation is female size increase for increased fecundity. However, sex-dependent selective pressures acting outside of female fecundity have been suggested as mechanisms behind niche dimorphisms. Our hypothesised role of predatory selection acting on females to generate both extreme sexual size dimorphism coupled with niche dimorphism is novel among arthropods.